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Why is Organic More Expensive?

Why is Organic more expensive?

There are some who consider organic food and other organic products to be elitist because they are more expensive than non-organic products. This however is far from true.

Organic foods and products are more expensive because they reflect the actual true cost of what is required to produce them, particularly labor. For instance, industrial agriculture relies on a plane to spray herbicides/pesticides on acres and acres of crops, while organic farmers use natural methods to deal with threats to their crops. It’s the same story with animals. It is more costly to care for animals raised in an organic environment than animals in an industrial agriculture environment, where they are often kept confined in small enclosures in indoor facilities and fed foods they were not intended to eat, including those that have been Genetically Modified.

The low cost of food we see today does not reflect its real costs. These costs include the costs we pay in terms of health care, potentially resulting from prolonged exposures to the toxic chemicals we ingest when we consume non-organic foods as well as the costs to the environment. One example is the runoff from farms that have been sprayed with synthetic chemicals that send toxins into the water supply.

One alternative for those seeking to minimize costs is to grow your own food using organic seeds. Organic herbs and salads are a great way to start, even for those living in apartments. Growing organic sprouts is also an easy and economical way to introduce significant amounts of “organic” nutrition. The main thing is to start adding in as much organic products as you can and avoid the most heavily contaminated crops known as the Dirty Dozen.

Apples

Celery

Strawberries

Peaches

Spinach

Nectarines (imported)

Grapes (imported)

Sweet Bell Peppers

Potatoes

Blueberries (domestic)

Lettuce

Kale and Collard Greens

As the demand for organic products continues to grow however, prices will continue to drop somewhat. It is not likely that the price of organic products will get as low as the prices that are found in dollar stores and low price department stores. These stores rely on mass manufacturing, low wages, poor working conditions, low grade materials, and in some case child slave labor to be able to bring prices to such low levels.

Check out our video and more information about why it's important to choose organic